Container with integral snapping closure fastener



1951 I M. l. WILLIAMSON 2,576,708

CONTAINER WITH INTEGRAL SNAPPING CLOSURE FASTENER Filed Oct. 19, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 INVENTOR. MARSHALL l. WILLIAMSON @XMM Nov. 27, 1951 M. I. WILLIAMSON CONTAINER WITH INTEGRAL SNAPPING CLOSURE FASTENER 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Oct. 19., 1948 FIG. ll.

(it I 4a .INVENTOR. MARSHALL l. WILLIAMSON Patented Nov. 27, 1951 OFFICE CONTAINER WITH INTEGRAL SNAPPING CLOSURE FASTENER Marshall I. Williamson, New Haven, Conn.

Application October 19, 1948, Serial No. 55,417

Claims.

This invention relates to containers for packaging items of merchandise for sales purposes.

An open tray or pedestal having upwardly and inwardly sloping peripheral walls, presenting, in effect, ornamental facets, serves most effectively as a receptacle for an item of mechandise to set such item apart from others surrounding it on d1splay. Thus the item more readily attracts the attention of, and may better be seen by, potential purchasers, which, of course, greatly enhance its competitive saleability.

However, to serve also as a protective container in which the merchandise may safely be shipped, first to the dealer and then to the purchaser, or in which it may be safely carried away by the latter, such an ornamental, open receptacle must be provided with a suitable and secure cover.

Furthermore, it is often desirable, for purposes of better dsplay and fuller visual examination of the merchandise, that the receptacle be rather shallow in relation to the height or thickness of the merchandise. In such case, the cover must have a greater depth than the receptacle, and must find a secure seating upon the latter despite the inwardly sloping walls thereof which afford no frictional gripping area. The seating must be accomplished in such manner that the receptacle cannot telescope upwardly into the cover, considering the latters greater depth and overall protective size.

Pursuant to the present invention, a receptacle of the character described is combined with a cover arranged to both grip certain bottom edges of the receptacle and to abut against sloping facet walls thereof. In this way, an effective merchanclise container for display purposes is provided, the depth of whose cover part may be greater than the height of the receptacle part without danger of undesirable telescoping of the receptacle within the cover.

A container of this type is most effective for display and for visual examination of its contents when the cover is made of transparent material. When so made, the cover need not be removed from the receptacle for such purposes, but may remain securely in place thereon, and, thus, may advantageously serve the further purposes of protect-ng both the receptacle and its contents from dust and of discouraging destructive handling of the contents.

Principal objects of the invention, therefore, are:

To provide an improved display type of con-5 tainer for the packaging of merchandise;

To provide the same economically and in a manner insuring adequate protection for the merchandise;

To enable the advantageous use of a transparent material for the cover part of the contaner, so the merchandise may be displayed and visually examined without opening the container;

To provide a construction whereby a decorative tray or pedestal having upwardly and inwardly sloping exterior side walls and serving as a receptacle for merchandise, may satisfactorily utilize a cover of greater depth than the height of such tray or pedestal;

To provide a novel form of display container which is attractive and pleasing in appearance, and yet capable of use as a protective package for merchandise from the point of manufacture to the point of sale.

In accordance with the invention, certain side wall portions of the cover part of the container are arranged to clasp the bottom edge of the receptacle part to effect a tight securement. Other ide wall portions are arranged to seat against the exterior facet wall slope of the receptacle part for the purpose of positively determining the positions of the two parts.

Preferred embodiments are rectangular in shape, and have one set of opposing walls arranged to snap over and clasp the bottom edges of corresponding Walls of the receptacle part and a second set of opposing walls arranged to seat against the facet slopes of corresponding walls of the receptacle part. In such embodiments the cover part is completely separable from the receptacle part, the clasping and latching action of the one set of cover side walls providing the necessary securement of cover part and receptacle part in the closed position.

In other embodiments, hinged attachment of the cover part to the receptacle part may take the place of one of the special wall-to-wall arrangements of either of the aforementioned sets.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the several preferred specific embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that such specific forms merely exemplify the possibilities inherent in the inventive concepts here set forth.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents, in perspective, one preferred form of merchandise container pursuant to the invention;

Fig. 2, a fragmentary elevation of one of the longitudinal sides of the container;

Fig. 3, an end elevation;

Fig. 4, an enlarged fragmentary section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5, an enlarged fragmentary section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6, a perspective view of the cover part separated from the tray part, the view being drawn to a reduced scale;

Fig. '7, a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention wherein the cover is hinged to the tray part along one longitudinal edge thereof;

Fig. 8, a perspective View of an embodiment essentially s;milar to that of Figs. 1 through 6, but showing how different cover shapes and different base shapes may be employed;

Fig. 9, an end elevation of the embodiment of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10, a perspective View of another form of theinvention wherein the longitudinal side Walls of the cover are arranged for clasping, and the end walls forabutment seating;

Fig. 11, a longitudinal side'elevation of the em bodiment of Fig. 10;

Fig. 12, an end elevation thereof; and

Fig. 13, a fragmentary perspective View of an end portion of'another embodiment of the invention showing how sheet transparent plastic material, such as a cellulose acetate, may be advantageously utilized the, formation of the cover.

Referring now to the drawings: thereceptacle part of the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 6 is here illustrated in the form of a display tray Ill .made

up from a suitable cutand scored blank of folding paper b-ox board in accordance with the disclosure of my co-pending application for U. 5. Patent, Serial No. 708,950, filed November 9, 1946, entitled Display Container, now Patent No. 2,522,- 325, dated September 12, 1950. As such, the merchandise display tray I comprises opposite,

longitudinal side walls II and opposite end walls I2 of hollow triangular formation, presenting up.. wardly and inwardly sloping outerwall faces I lit: and HM, respectively, which, in effect, provide a,

faceted exterior for the tray.

Because of the sloping exterior facets the merchandise display tray It presents no friction mating surfaces for a usual type cover. prior to this invention, a cover havingadepth greater than thedepth of the tray. could not be,

used.

Pursuant tothe invention, however, a cover I3,

which may be and advantageously is formed of of the tray I0 and cooperating cover I3, is of rectangular configuration. A variety of other configurations may be' employed, however, in keeping with the objects and features of this invention. r

The cover I3 is provided with opposite longitudinal side walls I4 and-opposite end walls I5; and is, in this instance, narrower than the display tray I0 over which it fits. The longitudinal side walls I l thereof are arranged to abut and seat along their lower edges against the slopingexterior faces Ila. of the respective sidewalls I I "of the tray, intermediate the bottom and top thereof. The cover I3 is, as here illustrated, dimensioned in length to'fit snugly over thecomplete length of the tray I 0, and the end walls I5 thereof Thus.

I4, so as to extend below the tray when the side walls I 4 seat against the sloping wall facets. Such deeper end walls I5 of the cover I3 have their edges turned back inwardly upon themselves to provide latching beads I5a, which, due to the inherent resiliency 0f the material of the cover, snap over the bottom edges of the end walls I2 of the tray and supply feet for the support of the. entire container combination. Thus, the end Walls I5 of the. cover part of the container clasp the bottom edge of the tray or receptacle part and effect a tight securement of cover. part to receptacle part.

When so positioned with respect to the merchandise display tray Ill, the cover I3 effectively protectsthe contents thereof by reason of the overlapping end walls I5 and the abutting side Walls I4. The beads I5a along the lower edges ofthecover end walls I5 retain the cover tightly in place during both shipment and display. Becausethe longitudinal. side Walls. Mabut against the. exterior facet. faces of the longitudinal side walls I I ,of the tray as position determinants, the depth to which the tray can be pushed inside the. cover. I3 is. positively limited. Accordingly,

bottom longitudinal edge in any suitable man-.

ner as, for example, bymeans of pintles 22. penetrating the walls of the, tray. The other longitudinal wall 23 of the cover part 20 is deeper than that which is ,hingedly secured to. the tray, and

has the bottom edge turnedback inwardly upon itself to provide a latching bead 23afor clasping. engagement of the corresponding bottomedge 2 Icofthetray when the container is closed. Themutually opposite end Walls 25 of the cover par 20 are not so deep as is the longitudinalwall 23 thereof, and abut and seat against the. exterior sloping facets of corresponding end walls 25. of the tray, part as positiondeterminants, when the container is closed;

In the embodiment of Figs. 8 and ,9, the receptacle part 30 is of pedestal, rather thantray,

formation. Thedetailsof its construction are of.

no moment so far asthe present invention is concerned except for the provision of inwardlyand upwardly sloping exterior facets, pfiripherally about the base thereof. Asillustrated. the bas v 30a of the pedestal possesses exterior lOn itudlnal side wall facets30b and end, wall facets 36c.

The cover part3l is essentially similar to that of the first embodiment, having endwalls 32' which are deeperthan are the longitudinal side walls 33, and which are inwardly turned at their bottom edgesto provide latching beads 32a. As in the case of the fi rst embodiment, the longitudinal side walls 33 of the cover partabut'and seat against corresponding facet slopes of the receptacle part, which are here the facet slopes 39b'of the base 30a of the pedestal.

The arcuate shape of the cover part 3I. of this embodiment indicates the variety of ornarnentalv forms that the cover part of the container of the invention may assume, as, similarly, the'formation of the pedestal 30 indicates thevariety of forms that the receptacle part of the container 7 of the invention may assume.

Another form of the invention is illustrated-in Figs. 10, 11 and 12. The receptacle part here consists merely of a peripherally faceted base pedestal 45 adapted to receive merchandise on its fiat pedestal surface 46, such pedestal being further indicative of the variations in type of ornamental receptacle which may be utilized in accordance with the invention. In this instance, the cover part 41 has longitudinal side walls 48 which are deeper than end walls 49, the bottom edges thereof being inwardly turned to form the latching beads 48a. Thus, the latching beads 48a snap over the bottom edges of respective longitudinal side walls 45a of the pedestal 45, while the bottom edges of the cover end walls 46 abut and seat against the end wall facet slopes 45b of the pedestal.

As illustrated, it is often desirable to bead the bottom edges of the abutting walls, for example by turning such bottom edges outwardly, as at 49a.

In some instances, it might be desired to hingedly secure the bottom edge of one of the end walls 49 of the cover part of this embodiment to the receptacle part 45. This may be done in any convenient manner, as, for example, in the manner shown in Fig. '7.

In all embodiments of the invention it is preferred that the cover part be formed of transparent material for the purpose of enhancing the decorative quality of the container and displaying the contained merchandise. Whether made of such material or of other appropriate material having the required flexible resiliency, such as paper box board, certain types of wood, metal, etc., it has been found that the inherent flexibility and resiliency of the material causes the deep, beaded walls of the cover part to clasp the bottom edge of the receptacle part in a snug and secure manner, providing an ornamental and unique protective package for various items of merchandise. Furthermore, the depending beaded portions of the cover part, which clasp bottom edges of the receptacle part, provide feet for supporting the container as'a whole.

The foregoing embodiments exemplify cover parts made up either from sheet materials properly cut and shaped and adhesively joined at abutting edges, or by molding techniques where suitable plastic materials are employed. In instances where the covers are molded directly to form, the beads are advantageously solid, being provided by edge portions suitably thickened.

The embodiment of Fig. 13 illustrates an advantageous manner of constructing the cover part where foldable sheet material, especially a plastic, such as a transparent cellulose acetate,

is utilized. The sheet material is cut to form a suitable blank for folding. As illustrated, securement flaps 50 extend at opposite ends of respective longitudinal side wall panels 5!, and fold against the outside surfaces of respective end wall panels 52, being secured thereto by means of a suitable adhesive. Both the side wall panels 5! and the end wall panels 52 fold integrally from appropriate defining margins of a top wall panel 53.

It is advantageous that the beads 5|a, formed by outwardly turning the lower edge portions of the respective side wall portions 5|, also comprehend the lower edges of the respective securement flaps 50, as at 50a, for the purpose of reinforcing the corners of the cover and preventing tearing along the corner folds thereof.

In this instance, both the length and the width of the cover are of less dimension than the length and the width, respectively, of the receptacle 54. This means that not only the longitudinal beads 5la of the cover abut against and seat upon the corresponding longitudinal wall facets 54a of the receptacle 54, but the cover flap beads 50a substantially seat upon the corresponding end wall facets 54b of the receptacle 54. Thus, the lower flexible portions 52a of the respective end wall panels 52 are bowed outwardly from the flap beads 5011, so as to intimately hug the lower portions of the receptacle wall facets 54b, the clasping or latching beads 52b of the cover end walls 52 functioning as in the other embodiments, but with an added grip due to the tensioning of the respective cover end wall portions 52a. This feature, it should be noted, may be incorporated in the previously described embodiments of the invention if desired.

Whereas this invention is here illustrated and described with respect to certain preferred specific forms thereof, it should be understood that various changes may be made in said forms and that various other forms may be produced on the basis of the teachings hereof by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A container for merchandise, comprising a receptacle part having upwardly and inwardly sloping exterior side Walls which define ornamental facets; and a cover part fitting over said receptacle part and engaging the same, said cover part having at least one side wall member whose lower margin is formed as a resilient clip for snapping over and engaging a corresponding bottom edge of the receptacle part as a latch, and having, further, a pair of oppositely disposed side wall members which are disposed at a relatively steeper angle than the corresponding sloping exterior side Walls of said receptacle part and are spaced inwardly from the bottom edges there of, and which are shorter than the said at least one side wall member, so that their bottoms abut and seat against corresponding facets of said receptacle part, intermediate the slope of said facets, thereby determining the position of said cover part with respect to said receptacle part.

2. The combination recited in claim 1, wherein the cover part is fabricated from sheet plastic material, and the latching wall member has its bottom edge turned inwardly to form the base of the resilient clip.

3. The combination recited in claim 2, wherein the pair of abutting and seating wall members have their bottom edges turned outwardly as respective longitudinal feet seating upon said re ceptacle part.

4. The combination recited in claim 3, wherein the abutting and seating wall members have respective flap extensions which are folded over against the outside surface of the latching wall member and are adhesively secured thereto, and wherein the turned bottom edges of said abutting and seating wall members continue along the bottom edges of said flap extensions.

5. The combination recited in claim 4, wherein both the breadth and the length of the cover part are somewhat less than the breadth and the length of the receptacle part, so that both the abutting and seating wall members and the latching wall member seat against their corresponding receptacle wall members intermediate the outer facet slopes thereof.

6. A container for merchandise, comprising a receptacle part having upwardly and inwardly geezer-es:

sloping exterior side; wallswhichz define orna-' mental. facets; and a cover part fitting over said receptacle partand-eng-aging the same, said cover. part including two opposingesidei walls whoseirespective lower margins are formed as resilientclips. for snapping. over and engaging: respective correspondingbottom edges of the .receptaclepart as a latch; and two opposi'ngside-walls which-are less deep respectively thanthe first named: side walls and. are: disposed at a relatively" steeper angle than the corresponding sloping exterior side walls of said receptacle partandarespaced inwardly from the. bottom edges thereofnso that they abut:- and seat against said corresponding sloping exterior side Walls, intermediatethefacet faces thereof, determiningplacement of the. cover part relative to the said receptacle part.

7. The combinationrecited in claimd, wherein thecover part is made up from a. foldable sheet plastic material,,the-opposing side. walls thereof; of less depth are provided with respective securement flaps extending from opposite ends thereof and folded over and secured against the outer'faces of adjacent side Wallsof said cover part, and said opposing. side walls; and secure.- ment flaps have their bottom edges'turned' upwardly, the said upwardly turned bottom edges extending integrally through the lengths of the respective side walls and their said flap extensions to reinforce the corners of said cover part against tearing.

8. A box-type cover of sheet plastic material for use with a receptacle having peripheral side walls whose exterior faces slope upwardly and inwardly to define ornamental facets, said cover comprising at least one side wall member whose lower margin is formed as a resilient clip for snapping over and engaging a corresponding bottom edge of the receptacle part as a latch; and at least one intersecting side wall member which is less deep than the said latching side wall member, so that it is adapted to abut and seat against a corresponding facet of said receptacle part intermediate the slope thereof, the: said intersecting side wall member terminating in a flap which is folded against the outer face of the other said side wall member and issecured thereto, saidintersecting side wallmember having'its bottom edge beaded throughout its length, in'-.--

cluding said flap.

9. A container for merchandise, comprising a receptacle part having upwardly and inwardly, sloping exterior side walls which define ornamental facets; and a cover part fitting over said receptacle part and engaging thesame, saidcoveri partlincliiding two opposingsidewallsiwhose re; spective'riower margins are formed as resilient clips: for. snapping over and. engaging, respective corresponding bottom edges'ofthe receptacle. part as-alatch, and two-substantially vertical opposing side; walls which. are; less' deep respectively than the first; named side; walls, and whose spacing across, the receptacle; part isiless' thanv the spacing across theireceptaclepartof the bottom edges of the: corresponding opposing sidewalls. of; said receptacle part, so:tha-t the bottom edges thereof abnt andseat against the exterior facet faces" of said side walls of. thereceptacle part intermediate: theslopes thereof, determining placement of the cover. part relative: torthesaid receptacle part.

10. A container for merchandise, comprisinga receptacle part having upwardly and. inwardly sloping. exterior side walls: which define orna-' mental facets; andva cover part fitting over-said receptacle part and engaging the same, said cover.

part having at least one side wall;member whose lower margin is formed as a .resilient clip for snapping over andtengaging a corresponding bottomedge of the receptacie part as a latch,. and having, further,- at .least one side wall member which is disposed at a relatively steeper angle than the-corresponding sloping exterior side wall of said receptacle part andis spaced inwardly from the bottom edge thereof, and which is shorter thanthe saidat ieastones-ide wall memher, so that its bottom abuts and; seats against a corresponding facet. of said receptacle part, intermediate-the slope of saidfacet, thereby determining the position of said cover part with respect to saidireceptacle part.

- I; WILLIAMSON;

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of: this patent:

.UNTIED STATES PATENTS 

